I am contemplating the creation of a new workshop for those professionals such as lawyers, accountants, financial advisors and doctors who live (or die) on billable hours.
My experience tells me that they are swamped by intense time demands, and that most are using new technology in a way that leaves their lives unbalanced. They indulge in extreme smartphone abuse, and find themselves so stressed that their lives, health and relationships are barely being held together by the threads of their good intentions.
But it’s not as if they are succeeding at work either. They find themselves falling behind in their invoices to clients, time tracking and paperwork, and finding the right document at the moment at which it’s needed is a hit or miss affair that might involve minutes and even hours of valuable professional time.
It’s not they are dumb people. All the ones I have met happen to be very, very smart, and possess outstanding credentials. It’s just that they have crafted habit patterns that cannot handle the number of time demands they now face in their lives.
As a result, they find themselves terminally stuck, with no way out except to leave the profession, which some do. Most however, stick it out, and while they watch important things (like their exercise programs) fall through the cracks, they wish that things could be better.
I want the program to tackle that problem head-on. It would be a Saturday program that’s limited to a small number of professionals (maybe 10) so that I can provide individual attention. I’m aware that someone who bills for their time and is able to upgrade their skills from a White to a Yellow Belt, for example, would be able to increase their earnings by a significant multiple, unlike most employees who work on a fixed salary.